Janet Burback turns on the TV first thing every morning and waits for the local weather forecast to appear.
But, unlike many South County locals enjoying the unseasonably clear skies and warm temperatures, Burback – the fourth generation manager at Tilton Ranch – is disheartened by yet another day without rain.
“That means I’ve got to decide how many calves I’m going to sell off today,” explained Burback, 51, whose sprawling 2,900-acre property – encompassing the western foothills of Coyote Valley from Morgan Hill to San Jose – is the largest family-owned and operated cattle ranch in the area.
Burback’s great grandparents, Howard and Florence Tilton, first purchased the land in 1917. She recalled how they bought the property as a place to retire, after a lifetime spent ranching 30,000 acres in Gilroy.
Janet’s grandparents, Lillie (Tilton) and Jere Sheldon, took over operations in the early ’80s – Lillie lived one month shy of her 100th birthday – before Burback’s parents, Harold and Barbara Baird, inherited the family business.
Today, Janet tends to two herds of about 60 cows, in addition to their calves and another 12 bulls for breeding.
But the good old days she so fondly remembers from her childhood, such as riding out on horseback with her brother and sisters to herd the cattle from the foothills back home and into the corral for branding, are overshadowed by the harsh realities of today.
A record-low rainfall for the 2013 calendar year – compounded by two previous dry growing seasons as well as skyrocketing costs for hay and feed – have threatened the livelihood of ranchers like Burback.
A historic low of 1.46 inches of rainfall was recorded in Gilroy in 2013, making it the “driest year on record,” according to forecaster Steve Anderson of the National Weather Service. The same can be said for the entire state of California and parts of western Oregon, according to NWS statistics.
“Everyone’s very concerned. It’s the worst that they can remember,” said Gilroy’s Kickham Ranch Manger Kyle Wolfe, who was forced to buy two truckloads of hay over the summer and a third load two weeks ago. During average rain years – about 21 inches in Gilroy – Kickham Ranch is able to produce its own feed.
“We usually have excess, so we sell the excess hay,” Wolfe explained. “That production was next to nothing (in 2013).”
Little to no rain means limited grass growth and a scarce hay production for area ranchers, who depend on both to feed their cattle. County ranchers have been forced to pay skyrocketing prices for hay bales from the Central Valley, where the going price is $250 per ton or upwards of $6,000 per truckload – and “that’s if you can find it,” explained Santa Clara County Cattleman’s Association President Justin Fields, who had to purchase four additional truckloads this season.
The growing season runs from November to as late as May. Ranchers budget their grass throughout the year – preserving enough from the six-month rainy period to last them through the next six-month dry period. And “most times, we have enough dry grass to carry our cows through to the next rainy season,” according to Fields.
But that hasn’t been the case recently in Santa Clara County, where steers and heifers accounted for $4,981,800 – the 11th highest grossing agricultural commodity, according to the 2012 Crop Report.
In 2013, Santa Clara County and 13 other counties were declared drought disaster areas, according to Deputy Agriculture Commissioner Eric Wylde for Santa Clara County. If forage losses exceed 50 percent of a normal year, producers may be eligible to participate in the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Non-insured Crop Assistance Program.
“If things don’t change, we’ll write another one next year,” said Wylde.
In fact, Burback is counting on another check from the USDA assistance program – she received one last year that accounted for “about 2.5 truckloads of hay” – to help keep her family’s ranch a working one.
“We’ve had our droughts over the years, but this has been the worst drought that we’ve encountered,” explained Burback, a 1980 Live Oak High School alumna. “In ’77, there was a bad drought. This is worse. This is way different.”
And ranchers have been forced to take desperate measures.
“There are three options really: sell cows, buy hay and feed them, or find additional pasture somewhere else and move your cattle to it – and that isn’t very easy to do,” Fields said. “One thing that saves us is the cattle market is really strong right now, which has been a blessing.”
A 550-pound calf goes for $1.50 per pound as of last spring, according to Burback, who, despite cutting a check for $6,000 of hay a week ago (she uses roughly two 1,400-pound bales of hay per day), was forced to auction off nearly 20 calves at the 101 Livestock Market in Aromas.
The drought, coupled with below normal temperatures in the low teens, has also affected certain species of trees and wildlife.
Local certified arborist Rick Brandini said he’s noticed the impacts to Eucalyptus and citrus trees, and points out other “marginally adapted plants to this climate zone could be affected” as well.
“The trees have been stressed for quite a long time,” said Natural Resource Technician Karen Cotter for Santa Clara County.
Cotter said staff has not been alerted or seen anything “unusual” when it comes to the health of animals throughout the county parks, although there is concern for the future if conditions continue. She noted that ponds and springs in the county parks are in good shape.
“Cumulative years of drought will have more of an effect than a single year usually,” shared Brandini. “We may see some stressed trees on the hillsides and landscapes this summer depending on how much rain we see.”
As for the early 2014 weather forecast, Fields is not giving up hope. There’s been talk among area ranchers that rain is expected later this month.
“I don’t know if it’s just optimism or a rancher’s heart,” he said. “It doesn’t take much to turn it around.”
Saturday may be the start with “a slight chance of rain” for Gilroy, according to NWS forecaster Diana Henderson.
Over at Tilton Ranch, Burback, who sits on the board for the Farm Bureau and the South Santa Clara County Fire District, pointed to one 35-acre fenced field in the front of the property that is dedicated to growing hay. However, the barely ankle-high grass was mostly brown with some tints of green.
“That should be a foot and a half right now,” said Burback, explaining that, ideally, hay is planted around Thanksgiving, cutting begins in May and baling in early June. “I should not have to be feeding now. I should be looking at lush, green hills.”
But every morning, Burback uses a forklift to load up two bales of hay on her flatbed truck, then drives into the dry, brown Coyote foothills to dump them off for her cattle.
If rain doesn’t start to fall, there are other options to preserve her family’s land through the California Range Land Trust and the Open Space Authority, Burback explained. However, that’s not exactly what she had in mind when she took over the ranch full-time in 2006.
Despite all the weather uncertainty, at least one thing is for sure: Selling the land that’s been in Burback’s family for close to a decade is not an option. And that’s coming from a strong-willed woman whose license plate on her pickup truck fittingly spells: “RNCH GAL.”
